Editorial: One district, one hospital – Great news

The emergence of the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19), which has already killed over 200,000 people globally, has put almost every country on its toes. The United States of America, the most developed country in the world, is constantly briefing her citizens about the seriousness of the disease, which has sent over 54,000 Americans to their early graves.

Here in Ghana, our President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has addressed the nation on eight occasions, during which he announced a number of measures to deal with the outbreak of the disease in the country. Apart from budget projections, which have been thrown out of gear, and our oil revenue falling to the lowest ebb, the disease has also come to test the robustness of our health system.

Luckily for us, as a country, smart measures we put in place, which included the closure of our airspace and land borders, have curtailed the rapid spread of the disease. Though we have so far recorded 1,550 cases, out of which 155 have recovered with 11 of the victims dying, the situation would have been worse if the contingency measures had not been put in place.

But, whilst we applaud the government and our health workers for the remarkable feat they have achieved, this should not deceive us into believing that we have the facilities to deal with the disease on a large scale. Our health facilities are not enough to deal with the pandemic, though one can argue that Accra and Kumasi, in particular, have enough health facilities. Unfortunately, Ghana is not about Accra and Kumasi, and that is why we need to tread cautiously.

The Chronicle is happy that President Akufo-Addo and his team have noticed this and have, therefore, decided to build 88 district hospitals throughout the country within a year to deal with the coronavirus and other diseases that may overwhelm us in future. This is an ambitious project, and as the President himself admitted during his televised address, it is unprecedented in the annals of this country.

Though we are yet to be told the actual cost of the projects, it will certainly run into millions of dollars. In our point of view, it will affect the budget of other sectors of the economy, but no matter the situation, it is still worth pursuing. Most of our television stations have been showing horrible pictures of pregnant women struggling to deliver in the rural areas, because there are no health facilities close to them.

But with this one district, one hospital project, some of these shortcomings in our health delivery system will be addressed to the satisfaction of the ordinary man or woman. Apart from this, these projects, upon completion, will lead to the employment of a large number of health personnel.  This means medical doctors being trained by the University of Ghana, University of Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, University of Health and Allied Services, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology will have work already waiting for them upon completion of their training.

Eighty Eight hospitals will also employ a large number of our trained nurses, who are always knocking at the doors of the government for employment. We are a developing country, but these projects, when successfully completed, will put Ghana above her peers when it comes to the health delivery system in the developing world. It is the hope and prayer of The Chronicle, and, indeed, every Ghanaian, that the government secures the needed funding to execute the projects.

But whilst commending the government for this vision, we wish to draw her attention to the equally important aspect of our health system – roads. If these hospitals are constructed, but roads leading to the rural areas are in bad shape, the facilities will become meaningless. As a developing country, The Chronicle is aware that all our roads cannot be constructed overnight.  We, however, think if correct measures are put in place, the country may soon overcome the challenge, so that those who want to visit these health facilities would have easy access.

The post Editorial: One district, one hospital – Great news appeared first on The Chronicle Online.

Read Full Story